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In late September, BASF Corp., Florham Park, N.J., showed off its just-built “Near-Zero-Energy Home” on a quiet residential street in Paterson, N.J. This 3400-sq-ft, two-story house is designed to save 80% of the energy that would be needed for heating and cooling. It uses numerous energy-saving technologies—such as solar-energy generation on the metal roof panels and water heating just under them, BASF’s Ultra-Cool reflective coating on the roof, under-floor heating with XLPE water pipes, and dual-pane windows with inert gas between the panes. In addition, a substantial part of the building’s external envelope and internal structure uses EPS foams for insulation.
The first-floor, foundation, and basement walls were poured with EPS insulating concrete forms (ICFs). Interior floors are concrete on EPS planks, which helps maintain temperature stability on each floor level. Second-floor walls and roof are structural insulating panels (SIPs) with an 8-in. EPS core between wood oriented-strand boards.
Although they don’t contribute energy savings in this case, the home uses structural insulating concrete panels (SICPs) in the garden and retaining walls. These have EPS core segments with a surrounding wire cage, which are encapsulated on-site with sprayed concrete. All these prefabricated panel concepts, with pieces cut to shape off-site, can contribute to faster construction and lower labor costs.
The Paterson house is an actual home: BASF donated it to the family of a 15-year-old boy who was left paraplegic after being hit by a car when he was eight. Since then, he has lived apart from his family, which could not afford to care for him at home. The family has been reunited in this specially designed house.